Russian leader Vladimir Putin sent President Obama a telegram congratulating him for winning a second term on Wednesday, while the country’s prime minister mocked Mitt Romney’s aggressive stance against the Kremlin.

â€œOverall the Kremlin welcomes the news of Barack Obama’s victory in the elections,â€ Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Interfax news agency. â€œWe express hope that the positive beginnings in bilateral relations and in international cooperation between Russian and the United States, in the interest of international security, will develop and improve.â€